Steam trap



Feb. 16 1926.

J. L. BERNARD STEAM TRAP Filed May 1 fiwemr, /ES A. 566N460,

Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

sn'r oFFIcEi JAMES BERNARD, OF BEAVER, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEAM TRAP.

Application filed May 1,

To all Wit/Hit it may concern:

lie it known that I, Janus ll. Biennium, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Beaver, in the county of Beaver and State of Peru:yivania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SteamTraps, of which the foliowing a specification.

This invention. relates to traps and while not limited theretorelatcsmore particularly to traps for use in removing the liquidcondensates from steam lines or other similar containers containinggaseous and vaporous fluids.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a trap of this classthat will be free of valves or other moving parts and. one that will beentirely automatic in operation.

Another object is to provide atrap of this class having the novelconstruction and. combination of parts hereinafter described andillustrated in the accompanying draw ngs. q A

ltn the drawings, vertical sectional elevation through a trapconstructed in accordance with my invention is shown.

Referring particularly to the drawings the numeral 2 designates thereceiving chamher or vessel of the trap as a whole, which is providedwith an apertured flanged neck 3 at its upper end forming an inlet. Theinlet or neck 3 is adapted to be secured to a steam line t or the like,which is provided with an opening 5 communicating with the aperture orinlet opening in the neck 3.

A discharge chamber or vessel 6 is located alongside of the vessel 2 andis materially shorter than the chamber or vessel 2. The chamber orvessel 6 is provided with an outlet port 7 at the upper end of its sidewall, which port is in communication with a vertical tube or conduit 8which extends downwardly and terminates in a fluid seal box 9 having anoverflow spout 10.

The vessels 2 and 6 are provided with frusto-conical bottom walls 11 and12, re-

spectively, which have centrally arranged ports 14 and 15 which are incommunication with the opposite arms 16 and 17 of a relatively smalldiameter U-tube connecting member, the lower or connecting portion 18 ofwhich is inclined upwardly toward the vessel 6.

The U-tube member is adapted to be filled up to the level indicated bythe line AA with mercury or other liquid 20 having a 1923. Serial No.635,951.

greater specific gravity than the liquid to-be trapped.

W hen the steam or other fluid containing the vapors to form condensatesis admitted into the steam line at or other container to which the trapis attached, the pressure will act upon the liquid seal or mercury 20and force it to assume the approximate position indicated by the linesBB'. As the liquid condensates collect in the receiving chamber orvessel 2, the head on themercury seal 20 will be increased until it hascollected in sufiicient quantity to force the sealing liquid to assumethe approximate position indicated by theletters HH, at which time theliquid condensates will flow past the seal 20 and into the chamber orvessel 6. When a suflicient quantity of the trapped liquid has enteredthe chamber or vessel 6 it will flow out through the port 7 and into theseal box 9 from which it will flow through the lip or spout 10 to awaste drain or the I mulates suflicient head the sealing liquid 7 willbe forced back to the position H-H, when the trapped liquid will againpass into the vessel 6, this action being continued over and over asoften as sufficient head accumulates in the vessel 2.

The chamber 2 is made of large diameter in order to provide a large areato take care of quantities of water which come through the opening 5from the pipe 4, which at frequent intervals will come in considerablevolume. If this chamber 2 were in the form of a pipe of the samediameter as the opening 5 and neck 8 it would be necessary to make it ofan impractical length in order to provide sufit cient area to take careof the quantities of Water coming from the pipe 4.

The chamber 6 is made of large diameter in order to permit the mercury20 to spread out and thus more quickly decrease its head and therebyfacilitate the operation of the trap and also to prevent the mercurybeing carried up to the outlet 7.

Attention is alsocalled to the liquid seal 9 which, besides sealing theconduit 9-also acts as a trap to-catch any mercury that might be carriedover from the chamber 6.

The inclined connecting leg-18 of the U tube causes an easier movementof the sealing liquid 20 and lessens the head necessary to break theseal.

I claim 1 1. A trap for removing the liquid condensates from containerscontaining gaseous and vaporous fluids, comprising a pair of vesselshaving a reduced communicating passage at their lower ends, one of saidvessels being of a greater height than the other and being provided withan inlet opening at its upper end adapted to be in communication withthe container from which the condensate is to be removed, the

other of said vesselsbeing provided with an outlet opening in thecommunicating passage between said vessels, said seal being of greaterspecific gravity than the condensates, and normally closing saidcommunicating passage. 7

2- A trap for removing the liquid condensates from containers containinggaseous and vaporousfiuids, comprising a pair of vessels having areduced communicating passage at their lower ends, one of said vesselsbeing of a greater height than the .olther and being provided with aninlet opening at its upper end adapted to be in communication with thecontainer from which the condensate is to be removed, the

other of said vessels being provided with outlet to apoint slightlyabove the lowest point in said communicating passage, means for forminga liquid seal over the end of said conduit, and a liquid seal in thecommunicating passage between said vessels, said seal being of a greaterspecific gravity than the condensates, and normally closing saidcommunicating passage.

3. A trap for removing the liquid condensates from containers containinggaseous and vaporous 'fluids, comprising a pair of vessels having areduced communicating passage at their lower ends, one of said vesselsbeing of a greater height than the other and being provided with aninlet opening at its upper end adapted to be in communication with thecontainer from which the condensate is to be removed, the other of saidvessels being provided with an outlet opening at its upper end, avertical conduit extending downwardly from said outlet to a pointslightly above the lowest point in said comn'iunicating passage, meansfor forming a liquid seal over the end of said conduit, and a mercuryseal in the communicating passage between said vessels, said seal beingadapted to normally close said communicating passage.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

JAMES L. BERNARD.

